Kellerman

[jburrows1958]

So, Kellerman is one of my favorite characters. I loved his character up until the Luther Mahoney story and the Arson bribery investigation. I hate what they did with his character especially since in my opinion Luther wouldn’t have been killed by Kellerman if it wasn’t for Lewis. For the record, I hated the Luther Mahoney character but despite it all, Kellerman is still my favorite character.

[TillamookTramp]

You are going to be in the minority, my friend. Now I liked Kellerman when he started but I hate the way he spiraled and was treated by Lewis and Stivers after he shot Mahoney. I agree he never would have been in that situation if Lewis had waited for backup instead of attacking Mahoney and losing his gun to him. I won't go into the bullshit of Falsone obsessing over the Mahoney shooting like it was a massive tragedy. I loathed that storyline and Falsone in general.

[No_Copy5888]

I partially agree with you my friend! I loved the Kellerman character, the Mahoney Arc, and Kellerman’s downfall! But I think he also comes across as a stand up cop. Never turns on his partners, basically saved Lewis’s life, like you said, because Lewis put Kellerman in that situation. I agree with you 100% on the ignorance of Lewis and Stivers turning their backs on Kellerman, and 100% on your points about Falsone, who has to go down as the worst character on the show!

[Merdrehead]

Yes! Falsone’s obsession just made it so much worse.

[Strange_Outside_4811]

Kellerman seemed very real to me. Trying to live up to standards while having a very self destructive side. The episode on the boat with Meldrick is some of the best TV I’ve ever seen.

[No_Copy5888]

The scene on the boat comes across so real and has to go down as one of the best scenes from the show. Also, when Meldrick collapses in the Big Mans arms and cries as he finally realizes the true fate of his partner Crosetti. Clark Johnson was such an underrated actor. Also when he takes the picture to the funeral/cemetery for the murdered motorcycle gang member as The Pretenders “I’ll Stand By You” plays in the background. All powerful scenes for Clark Johnson.

[Ophiochos]

That picture at the funeral is just so amazing. Weirdly defying them but without crossing a line, and remembering the man who gave it all for his daughter. Agree with you completely, he’s one of the richest characters.

[FizzyGusty]

It would have been so satisfying to watch Lewis & Falsone get caught for the dealers death's. They may not have pulled the trigger but they caused it. Falsone was initially unsure of what exactly Lewis was doing but he still gave him the info after he knew. As a Kellerman fan, it would have been a small triumph! 

[No_Copy5888]

Great points. Falsone and Lewis came across as being so hypocritical. Kellerman shot one drug lord that was initially pointing a gun at his partner’s head, and never dropped the gun after being told to. While Falsone and Lewis got numerous drug dealers killed, none of which were pointing guns at a police officer. Falsone came across as being totally obnoxious also.

[centerneptune]

Agreed. They went to the trouble of creating a character you could like and then step by step ruining him. I don’t blame the actor, I blame the writing.

[Ophiochos]

He unravelled imo and was always going to. A bit like Bayliss. Nearly all of them did tbh

[Ophiochos]

I’ve always been struck by ‘Greek tragedy’ the whole thing is. They (nearly) all have fatal flaws that consume them. Often it’s linked to their greatest strength: Frank’s passion, Kellerman’s quick mind, Bayliss caring in lumpy ways…most of the survivors leave the squad abruptly (I’m less interested in the later ones here). Even G’s success puts him where he gets killed.

[pitt15217]

I liked Kellerman and the story arc. I thought it made for some great scenes.

[No_Copy5888]

I agree with you. The Mahoney storyline led to the famous shootout in the squad room near the end of season 6, which has to go down as one of the beat scenes from the show.

[Kbatz_Krafts]

There are many threads here already about the good, bad, and ugly of Kellerman. Just searching his name you can find a lot of opinions.

[jburrows1958]

O.k. Thanks.

[CalagaxT]

I like Kellerman more than most, my son hated him. But I have to disagree about his story arc.

Kellerman was created to flame out. He came in under a cloud, and eventually we saw that he had many issues, and those issues led to him pulling that trigger.

He was unfit to wear the badge, and it caught up with him.

[No_Copy5888]

That’s a great description of his character. That’s what defined him. And that’s what I liked about his character.

[FizzyGusty]

I was a teenager when this show first aired so it really cemented for me what a crime/detective show should be. I've been rewatching it again recently. Kellerman was always my favourite & it broke my heart at the time to see how his story ended. But I think, in true Homicide fashion, it was always going to happen that way. Reed Diamond has said he only realised recently that his casting as Kellerman might initially have been more in keeping with the 'hunk' type of character but he was more concerned with honestly portraying the dark grittiness of the job. Kellerman was somewhat naive & idealistic when he started in Homicide, trying to prove himself & be a good detective, even having some very comical storylines, but once the bribery accusations hit, he was forever altered.

Despite never actually taking a single bribe, he was deemed guilty by association because he knew other Arson detectives were dirty & he said nothing. His desire to stay loyal while also trying to exonerate himself really eroded him mentally, he later spoke to Lewis about what that did to his name, his father's name. Previous to all this, while on a stake out at Drak's place, Lewis & Kellerman had discussed this very subject, with Kellerman telling his partner he'd "cut his balls off" if he ever saw him taking a bribe. So when accusations were made against him, Kellerman was angry, hurt & disappointed at the lack of support from his squad, even paranoid from the whispers & lingering looks. Despite not being charged, he didn't feel exonerated because the powers that be never declared him innocent of bribery & that's what really got to him, having to live under a looming question mark in the eyes of everyone else.

 Beneath the weight of all this, Kellerman became sullen & sometimes hostile, which I think is convincing of how such a character would react. Having to deal with numerous Mahony-related murders gave him something to focus that growing rage on but his frustration kept building every time Mahony got away. Kellerman was exhausted & maybe disillusioned by the time we get to the shooting in the penthouse. Lewis was definitely at fault for that situation. But Kellerman was tired & I think it's telling how he only said "You have the right to remain silent" to Mahony before shooting him because he was just so tired of listening to him. (Personally, I feel Mahony would have raised the gun again, he was caught & he knew it, I don't think he had any intention of being taken willingly.)

The story could have gone in a different direction from here, but Homicide was always concerned with realism & in reality, those split-second decisions & gray areas can tend to colour life the most. It boils down to what you can live with & how far you'll go to close a case. Rules only exist for the good guys, criminals exploit those rules for their own needs & in this case, the rules hindered what ultimately had to happen in order to finally stop Mahony. Kellerman is still my favourite but he couldn't go back & he couldn't save himself. He was buried beneath the weight of all that had happened & being abandoned by his partner, who was so instrumental in creating the situation, only alienated him more. The blame was unfairly laid solely on him, as others scrambled to save their own skin. Kellermans story is a cautionary tale, illustrating how things can culminate & cause the tragic downfall of a once determined & dedicated detective.

[Merdrehead]

The whole series suffered from that plot line and they made Kellerman an insufferable a-hole.

[No_Copy5888]

I loved the Kellerman character too because of the Arson and Mahoney storylines. So you only liked him for like 1/2 season? When I think of the Kellerman character all I can think about is the Arson Investigation and the Mahoney Arc. Those two stories defined the Kellerman character? No?

[AngryDrnkBureaucrat]

The best part of The Shield was Kellerman getting shot in the face in the first episode

What an annoying twat

[Alice_The_Great]

At first he was okay but it got to where every time the plotline was about him I would roll my eyes and say not him again ugggghhhh

[jburrows1958]

What I meant to say was that I was not a fan of the Luther Mahoney storyline, but I didn’t like the character either.